Eagles Acquire DB Chauncey-Gardner Johnson from New Orleans Saints

The Eagles knew they needed a safety, and they went out and got one, acquiring Chauncey Gardner-Johnson from the New Orleans Saints.

The deal will send Gardner-Johnson and New Orleans' seventh-round pick in 2025 to the Eagles in exchange for a fifth-round pick in 2023 and the later of their two sixth-round selections in 2024.

Philadelphia already owns New Orleans' first-round pick in 2023 and their second in 2024.

In a related move, the team released veteran Anthony Harris and appears ready to enter the season with Marcus Epps and Gardner-Johnson as their starting safeties.

According to Pro Football Focus, however, Gardner-Johnson has played just 80 snaps in three seasons at safety.

Gardner-Johnson, 24, is in the final year of his contract and that could be why the Saints decided to move on from him. Still, the former fourth-round pick from Florida production since arriving in the league will likely warrant a big contract.

He has five interceptions in three seasons, including three last year, and can be dangerous as a blitzer with four QB hits last year and two sacks. He also had 46 tackles and four for loss.

Gardner-Johnson spent a lot of time in the slot with the Saints, which is a position manned by Avonte Maddox, so he will likely be a full-time safety in Philadelphia.

He will bring plenty of attitude to the Eagles, one of the game's better-known trash talkers.

Eagles are trading for a young star in the final year of his rookie deal, safety Chauncey Gardner Johnson

He brings some more attitude to the secondary!

pic.twitter.com/8W6B3xbYJv
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) August 30, 2022

The trade is part of an offseason that saw Howie Roseman make some major additions to the defense.

The GM added:

LBs Haason Reddick, Kyzir White, and Nakobe Dean.

CB James Bradberry.

DT Jordan Davis.

It will be interesting to see how the acquisition impacts the safety group when it comes to whittling the roster to 53 players.

Reed Blankenship, the undrafted free agent from Middle Tennessee State, was probably the best of the group after Epps, but keeping him could come at the cost of former fourth-round pick K’Von Wallace.

Roseman is expected to meet with the media after 4 p.m. Tuesday after the roster has been trimmed to 53.

Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Fan Nation Eagles Today and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglesmaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.